Fledgling
by lost.in.translati0n.831
Summary: After being driven out of his town for being half demon, Cloud is found by members of SOLDIER and taken back to Midgar. There he finds some unexpected family. AU, Slash, mentions of abuse. Genesis/Sephiroth, Cloud/?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in the Final Fantasy franchise.**

Chapter 1

Snow began falling lightly as Cloud continued on trying to find shelter. His village had finally chased him out, deciding that he was the reason for all their troubles. Fifteen years old, and they only saw him as a demon, and all because his eyes were a little odd. The first five or so years had been fine, but it wasn't until the incident with the mayor's daughter did things go downhill.

 _Of course they would_ , Cloud thought bitterly. He was just the poor bastard, a product of a one night stand, that no one would mourn if he died. His own mother didn't even try to stop them; the look of disgust on her face as she shoved him outside at the mob was answer enough to her thoughts of him.

All of the villagers were completely human, cut off from the rest of the world as it had been for centuries. The only news from the outside that ever reached them was from the occasional merchant passing through, and most of the villagers would openly sneer at their tales of demons and humans coexisting peacefully. Cloud would of course eavesdrop and listen in wonder at their tales, just a tiny bit heartened that someone like him might exist out there somewhere.

Cloud shivered as another gust of wind blew even more snow down. He was lucky that he was wearing his heaviest jacket already, not that it did him much good in the current white out. He didn't even know which way he was going. His body was getting heavier and heavier with each step and Cloud wasn't sure how much longer he would last out here.

He had been run out just after dawn that morning and it was now nearly nightfall. If he didn't find shelter soon, there was zero chance of him surviving the night.

Suddenly, he realized that he was no longer alone. Cloud looked up and stared at the shadowed figure in silence, not a single thought processing as the man continued to stare.

Finally, with a strangled sob, Cloud collapsed in front of the dark figure standing not five yards from him, unconscious before he hit the ground.

* * *

Sephiroth had been enjoying the warmth of the Shinra mansion with his friends, ignoring the bickering from Zack and Genesis, while waiting for Angeal to come out and inform them that dinner was ready when the proximity alert went off. Years of military training sent them instantly on alert and any order that Sephiroth gave was instantly obeyed.

Together, three of the demons headed out and spread out to cover more ground and to make it harder for anyone to ambush them. Angeal had stayed behind to direct them from the monitors. Speaking of, Angeal's voice sparked in his ear over the comm.

" _A little more to the east, Sephiroth, and Genesis, make sure to cover his flank ,"_ he cautioned.

Soon enough, he caught sight of a human form stumbling through the snow. Something was off about them. His presence was almost familiar. Guarded now, Sephiroth tensed and cautiously inched forward. He could feel, rather than see, his companions do the same.

It took a moment, but soon the person, a young boy apparently, noticed him. He looked up and-

Sephiroth and Genesis- who was now just close enough to see the child's face but still stay unseen- inhaled sharply. He looked barely older than twelve with pale, angelic features. Soft, golden hair wreathed his head and rose in spikes, an odd style to keep, and his face was pale and round with lips just beginning to turn blue. The cause for their astonishment, however, were his eye. They were a bright blue and glowed softly in the darkness, slit pupils dilated in fear.

This was no human child; this was a _fledgling!_

Children amongst their kind were rare because of their long lifespan, so any children born were cherished and guarded jealously. No demon would intentionally harm one. To find one this far away from others like them, seemingly abandoned and injured sent Sephiroth's bloodlust burning.

Before any of them could react, a sound like the whimper of an injured animal escaped the young one's busted lip and he fell forward. Rushing forward, Sephiroth managed to catch him just before he hit the ground. Cradling the child close to his chest, he turned and pelted toward the mansion all the while ordering a now confused Angeal to get the medical supplies ready. The front door was flung open as they neared and a wide eyed Angeal stood aside to let them in.

"I set up in the den," Angeal said, leading them to the correct room. Sephiroth gently set the boy on the chaise nearest the roaring fire. Immediately Angeal set to work, Genesis explaining to the other two what they saw. Zack sat eerily quiet on one of the chairs.

"His eyes… I feel like I've seen them before," Genesis continued sounding extremely agitated. "He even feels familiar."

"We need to contact HQ, he's hypothermic and needs a proper doctor. Whoever did this…" Even the usually gentle Angeal was riled, his eyes lowing brighter than normal.

"I will," Sephiroth stated calmly, needing an excuse to leave. The longer he stayed and looked at the fledgling, the more infuriated he felt.

Exiting to the library, he went to where he left his laptop and opened a call to Lazard. The man answered, looking surprise to see him. Understandable, considering they were supposed to be on vacation for the entire week.

" _Sephiroth. I didn't expect a call for a while; the four of you aren't due back for another three days."_

"We need an extraction immediately." He paused before clarifying. "A medical transport."

Instantly the blonde man went on alert. " _Who-?"_

He was cut off. "Not us, an injured fledgling stumbled onto the property and needs better medical attention than what we can provide."

Lazard was silent as he digested this startling information.

" _I'm sending one of the turks over immediately. They will be there by morning,"_ he said abruptly. With that said, the call ended.

As promised, a medical transport arrived first thing in the morning, far earlier than they had expected given the storm. It took all of ten minutes to get everyone strapped in and take off again. The air of solemnity around the four SOLDIERS kept even the usually boisterous turk Reno subdued.

Seven painfully long hours of near complete silence later and they were finally at headquarters. Waiting for them at the helipad, in addition to some nurses, was Tseng. The turk commander watched with a frown as they hurriedly carted the boy inside before turning to face the soldiers.

"So you can feel it to," Genesis stated before Tseng could speak.

"Yes, more than likely he's related to someone we've crossed paths with. I will have them run some tests when he is in the clear. For now, no one is to know of him unless strictly necessary." With that said, the man then turned to follow after the medics.

Once he was out of earshot, Zack grinned.

"So he does have a heart!" he exclaimed, turning to the others only to receive three identical looks of disbelief. "What?! Don't tell me that that didn't remind you of Angeal when he's in mother-chocobo mode."

"You know I think he's right," Genesis replied after a second.

Sephiroth chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

Angeal could only sigh in exasperation, a fond smile on his face.

* * *

AN: This is the first time that I have posted any of my stories to a public site. I figured that it could be good way to get feedback about my writing, so while I like criticism please no flames, Feel free to point out any grammatical errors or if I've misspelled anything; I'll note it and try to fix it at a later date.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thank you to everyone who read this and reviewed. Just a heads up, next weeks chapter may be a little late. I'm visiting my sister and don't know when I'll be back. I'd post there, but she kind of lives in the boonies. Her words, not mine. I will also be posting the prologue to a Naruto story called _Yondaime,_ so if your interested.

 **Disclaimer:** It's called fanfiction, so obviously I don't own the characters.

Chapter 2

It was so dark and he was in so much pain that Cloud wondered if he was dead. Voices echoed around him and Cloud could only manage to make out a few snippets. None of it made any sense.

" _It's been a week…"_

"… _damage was extensive… fixed what we could…"_

" _His body… healing coma… remarkable…"_

" _Sedatives… too risky."_

" _Is he really… Valentine…"_

Did someone find him? That wasn't possible was it?

After a while he began to recognize a few of the voices that came more often than the others. One was a soothing rumble that would talk with a voice that he called puppy, which was an energetic one. Another spoke with an almost musical lilt and was often reciting some poem. The final one talked less than the others in a silky baritone, often to insert a dry comment to the others' conversation.

Soon, he was able to feel something other than the pain, and it was during a rare time when he was alone that he was finally able to open his eyes. He was staring up at a stark white ceiling, and knew immediately that he wasn't in Nibelheim anymore. It was far too clean for anything there. He began to panic not knowing where he was. He whimpered lowly as he sat up. His whole body seemed to protest the movement.

As he curled in on himself, Cloud didn't notice when the door opened and so was startled when a hand rested tentatively on his shoulder. Cloud jerked away and stared up with wide, fearful eyes at a dark-haired man with blue eyes that almost seemed to glow. His eyes were also slit like Cloud's.

"Easy there, kid. We mean you no harm," the man said soothingly, eyes never leaving his. "My name is Angeal, could you tell me your name? How old are you?"

"Cloud, fifteen," he managed to croak out, voice rough from disuse. He didn't bother with his last name; Strife was given to him by the villagers. He knew his father's name of course (his mother always cursed it) but he had only used it once and that hadn't ended well.

"Some of my men found you, Cloud. You were gravely injured and we almost lost you a few times. It's been two weeks since we brought you here," he explained softly. "Where are you from, Cloud?"

Cloud remained silent as the man spoke, watching him carefully. There was an odd feeling coming from this man, as though some connection was drawing Cloud towards him. He had never felt it before, but it made Cloud want to relax around him. As comforting as it was, the unfamiliarity set him on edge.

"You don't even know what you are," he heard Angeal murmured, looking remorseful. Cloud flinched at this and looked down at his trembling hands, causing Angeal to reach out and gently take his chin. He then tilted his head towards him, leaning closer.

"What do you know about _demons_ , Cloud?" he said that word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Cloud stared back, wide eyed and shaking. Nothing good ever came from talking about demons. "Where am I?" he finally managed to get out. He had to get out of here, he had to flee.

"You're in Midgar," the man said sounding almost disappointed, releasing him gently. "We can talk later if you want."

Angeal moved to the other side, away from the door. Seeing his chance, Cloud steeled himself before leaping from the bed and darting out the door. He ignored Angeal's call for him to stop and barreled through a few people in white coats. _Doctors_ , his mind belatedly supplied. He managed to find a stairwell (A part of him marveled at the sheer size of it) and seeing people below, fled upwards.

He only made it three floors before he felt as though something was clawing at his side. He darted through a door and into a deserted hall. He ducked into an empty office and crawled underneath the desk.

It wasn't long until he heard voices from outside the door. He bit back a whimper as the door opened and whoever was there entered.

"Little one?" Cloud twitched as he recognized it as the silky baritone from before. "Please come out little one; we only wish to help you. I know you are under there and that you are scared, but you need to trust us."

After a few minutes of silence with neither party moving, Cloud saw no other option, but to leave the pseudo safety of his hiding spot.

Peeking his head around the side of the desk, his gaze was met by a man with long silvery hair and eyes that…eyes that were exactly like his.

The atmosphere around ShinRa had been tense since the four friends returned with the boy. The appearance of the mysterious fledgling had been made classified information so only the SOLDIERS, the turks, a handful of department heads, and a select few scientists even knew about him. Even fewer knew about the results of the DNA test.

The test had left the turks and the first class SOLDIERS reeling and scrambling for answers. The database had found not one but two familial matches; the father was a supposedly dead turk (whose cause of death report was filled with more holes than any respectable turk faking their own death would leave) and a match for a brother, the General himself.

Said general was currently pacing his and Genesis' shared apartment. The knowledge of being lied to his whole life had nearly destroyed Sephiroth (although it did cause the destruction of the SOLDIERS private vr-room). All this time he had thought that Hojo had been his father; if the scientist wasn't already dead Sephiroth would have happily run him through with masamune. If not for Genesis and Angeal acting as the voices of reason, Sephiroth may have done something he would eventually regret. As it were, the knowledge that the boy in medical would need him when he woke up was the only reason that Sephiroth was still there, and not aiding the turks in the search of the people responsible.

There were three possible towns near the mansion that the child might have come from, but taking into account the storm and that they didn't know how long he had been out there, they were left with few definite answers. For all they knew, he could have been abandoned by someone passing through or even been held prisoner for years before escaping. There were obvious signs of abuse and malnutrition, so the later was more than likely.

The boy had fallen into a healing coma and with the way the doctors described it, he could wake up anywhere from in the next few hours to the next few weeks. For the past two weeks, Sephiroth had been in medical whenever he had the chance. He had found it odd, at first, that he could feel such a strong attachment towards a complete stranger, but soon discovered through Angeal that it was a normal reaction if their were blood ties to the fledgling.

Once again, he cursed Hojo for his lack of knowledge on such things.

Sephiroth was soon interrupted from his train of thought by the sound of his phs. He paused in his pacing and opened it to reveal a message from Angeal. The first part filled him with an odd sense of relief, but the second half brought worry.

 _He woke up. He seemed fine, but made a run for it. Need help searching._

Sephiroth closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath, but some force seemed to tug at him. He reached out, searching for something he hadn't realized was there before. It was like a thread he hadn't realized existed before; a missing piece of himself that he didn't know was even gone. _It's him,_ a part of him seemed to whisper as an echo of panic and fear came at him from the thread.

Certain that it would lead him to the terrified youth, Sephiroth followed the feeling and soon found himself on the floor with the first class' offices and outside the door of Genesis' office. He frowned and pushed the door open.

There, barely visible from where Sephiroth stood, were the tips of the boys' golden hair. He sent a quick message to Angeal to inform him and called Genesis to tell him where he was before addressing the boy.

"Little one? Please come out little one; we only wish to help you. I know you are under there and that you are scared, but you need to trust us." Sephiroth kept his voice low and soft, careful not to speak as he would towards his men.

He stood and waited anxiously. Just as he was about to give into instinct and drag the child to safety, the boy finally poked his head out. As soon as their eyes meet, the boy froze, seemingly entranced.

Taking a chance, Sephiroth moved forward slowly and kneeled down a few feet away. All the while the blonde's eyes never left his.

"Can you come out the rest of the way?" Sephiroth murmured. He reached out a hand only for the boy to flinch back. On a whim, Sephiroth tried sending reassurances through the shared link. Visibly, the child relaxed. Trying again, he reached out his hand.

This time the boy moved just a bit closer before stopping, his gaze flickering between Sephiroth's face and outstretched hand.

"My name is Sephiroth. Is there something I can call you besides little one?"

The boy hesitated and Sephiroth was afraid he'd hide again.

"Cloud."

Sephiroth gave Cloud a rare smile.

"I need you to come with me, Cloud. You were injured badly, so the doctors have to make sure you are healed enough to be moving around."

"Your eyes." Even with his enhanced hearing, Sephiroth almost missed his words.

"I can explain later, but you have to trust me."

A long minute later, Cloud finally nodded and moved within reach.

Instincts taking over, Sephiroth put his arms around Cloud and pulled him closer, causing gasp of surprise came from the fledgling at the sudden hug. Sephiroth paid it no mind as he checked the boy over for any new injuries. Once he was certain there weren't any, he stood and shifted Cloud so that he was being carried bridal style. Automatically his arms went up and around the silver haired man's neck.

"It's alright, you are safe here," he murmured when he heard someone approaching.

Sephiroth turned towards the door to see Genesis standing there with a worried expression. Cloud saw him too and buried his head into Sephiroth's neck.

Genesis inwardly squealed at the adorable sight and snapped a quick photo with his phs.

"They're waiting for you two down in medical. They said if everything checks out he can come with us."

"Good. Have you finished with the preparations?" Sephiroth asked as he strode out of the room and towards the elevator. It was still pretty early, so the only ones awake would be the cadets and the turks. With the cadets running drills and the turks investigating the fledgling, they weren't likely to run into anyone.

"Of course," Genesis said rolling his eyes. "Although a few things will take a while to arrive."

Since they read the results of the DNA test and after they calmed Sephiroth down, Genesis had immediately started turning their guest room into a bedroom for Cloud. He claimed that he was only doing it so that Sephiroth would have more time being near the kid, just in case he woke up. Not that he minded of course; he hated shopping.

When they reached medical, they were guided to an empty room by a nurse. Sephiroth lay Cloud down on the bed.

"I'll wait outside," Genesis murmured, pulling out his copy of Loveless.

Cloud remained silent through the examination, only answering if asked something directly. Nearly thirty minutes had passed before it was finally over.

"He'll be tired for the next couple of days," the doctor informed Sephiroth. "Here is the list of medications he's to take; the instructions for each are there as well. If there are any problems come back here immediately." They were then dismissed and the nurse from earlier brought in a wheelchair. Sephiroth could only watch on in mild amusement as Cloud stared at it dubiously before allowing the nurse to help him into it.

Genesis was still waiting for them, leaning against the wall, his lips moving silently as he read. He smirked and snapped the book shut as the two passed him, falling into step beside Cloud.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am Commander Genesis Rhapsodos."

Cloud fidgeted, not meeting his eyes.

"I'm Cloud," he finally answered. Genesis' gaze flicked over to Sephiroth who nodded imperceptibly.

"Do you have any family that we should contact, so that they know that you're fine? Your mother, father perhaps?" Genesis asked nonchalantly.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the petite blonde. Sephiroth felt a note of panic, perhaps fear, through the link.

"I- no, no there's no one."

"Hm, alright then," Genesis responded calmly. "So where are you from?"

"Nibelheim," the answer came automatically.

Sephiroth twitched at the name and Genesis surreptitiously pulled out his phone as if checking for messages and sent off a quick text.

Genesis continued with similar questions all the way up to their apartment, trying to calm him further. They entered and moved Cloud to the sofa, moving the wheelchair out of the way until they could return it. Genesis perched on the arm of the sofa and Sephiroth sat in the chair nearer to Genesis.

"You promised answers." Cloud stared at Sephiroth in wary defiance.

"Yes, I did. Now where would you like to start?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : I don't own the characters in the Final Fantasy franchise.

 **AN** : This shorter than I would like, but I plan for the next chapter to be longer.

Chapter 3

"What are you?" Cloud demanded after much hesitation. His instincts told him that they could be trusted, but something had felt off about the two in front of him. Cloud just couldn't quite place the feeling. And their eyes, although different colors, appeared to glow. The silver-haired one, Sephiroth, had slit pupils exactly like his.

"Simple enough, we are what some humans call 'demons.' It's not really used in the more urban areas of the world," Genesis replied flippantly. Cloud could only stare wide-eyed as he continued. "Kirai is more commonly used, but there are other names and categories, but it's the general term. We have abilities that set us apart from regular humans. Sometimes these abilities will take on a more physical manifestation: wings, scales, gills, fur. Stuff like that. We age at a slightly slower rate as well. This means that we live longer and have fewer children. And you, dear little Cloud, are a fledgling, a young Kirai."

"How?" he breathed.

"We knew the moment we saw you in that storm," Sephiroth murmured as Genesis reached out to brush the hair from Cloud's eyes. He didn't flinch back, still trying to process things.

"Your eyes, so beautifully vibrant," Genesis told him. "That's not all however. You see whenever we meet one of our kind we get a sort of… impression from them. This means that if we run into a blood family member, we recognize what clan they're from, so to speak. The more we're around them, the stronger the feeling we get when we meet a family member. The feeling we got from you was so strong it could only mean that we interact with a member of _your_ clan on a daily basis. We ran some tests and they came back with two matches."

"Who?" but even as he asked his eyes locked with Sephiroth's.

"Your father, I'm afraid, is missing. The other, as I'm sure you've already guessed, is Sephiroth."

Cloud felt as though the world was tilting. He clutched his head, his breath shuddering. Gaia, he had a _brother_. A million thoughts and questions raced through his head. Did Sephiroth know? About him? And what happened to their father? Did his mother lie about him?

"I never knew," Sephiroth said, as if reading his mind. "I didn't even know our father's name until I saw the results. I had been told that it was someone else. His name is-"

"Vincent Valentine," Cloud interrupted, causing the two men to stare in surprise. "My- my mother she always cursed him whenever she got the chance."

There was silence and Cloud didn't move even as one of them stood to kneel in front of him. They moved his hands from his face and held them in Cloud's lap. He could see the black of Sephiroth's coat.

"Did she say anything else about him?" Sephiroth questioned.

Cloud began to shake his head only to frown as he recalled a conversation he had overheard when he was younger. It was between his mother and some woman, the innkeeper's wife, that sounded like it was about his father.

"When I was younger, I remember overhearing her talking about some group working at the mansion. I think that's how she met him. Also mentioned she was disgusted about it," he said dispassionately.

Cloud was still looking at his hands when Genesis broke the silence that had settled upon them.

"I think that is enough for today," he said quietly. "I know you must still be exhausted, so why don't we all head off to bed. If you think of anything else you would like to know, you can ask us in the morning."

Cloud bit back a protest as he was gently picked up once again by Sephiroth and taken to a different room.

"This is your room now," Sephiroth told Cloud as he was placed on the bed. "If you need anything, we'll be in the room across the hall."

With one last smile, the two men left. Feeling scared, Cloud fought the urge to call them back, brushing it off as childish. Bringing the plush blankets up over him, Cloud allowed himself to fall into a fitful sleep.

Sephiroth sighed as he closed Cloud's door, feeling reluctant to leave the boy alone. After standing there for a minute, trying to decide whether he should go back in or not, Genesis tugged him away gently.

"Come on darling, even if you won't admit it, I know that you're exhausted. He needs to process everything. If he needs you, you'll feel it," his lover murmured. Sephiroth made a noncommittal noise as he allowed himself to be dragged to their bedroom.

"Have you messaged Tseng?" Sephiroth asked as he changed into a pair of sweatpants.

"Of course I have. They've taken the liberty of sending a team back out to the mansion. Tseng says he'll tell you if they find anything of interest. They're also planning to take that _woman_ into custody," Genesis informed, his face scrunching up in distaste. "The puppy will be going with them."

"Should we tell Cloud?" Sephiroth asked his lover as he was pushed down onto the bed.

Genesis shook his head. "Not yet, he needs time to rest and to process what we've told him. Worry about it later, we have a long day tomorrow of paperwork and incompetent cadets."

Sephiroth chuckled as he pulled the auburn haired man close.

"You and I both know that I'll be the one doing the paperwork tomorrow while you terrorize the poor cadets."

"All the more reason to rest," he said with a smirk, using Sephiroth's chest as a pillow.

Running his fingers through his lover's hair, Sephiroth finally allowed himself to relax for the first time in weeks.

Genesis hummed in approval and soon enough, they both drifted off. 

**AN** : Sometimes, it's like life knows that I'm down and just keeps kicking me.

I am really sorry that this is so late. I haven't abandoned this, I promise, it's just a lot has happened since I left my sister's. First off, I'm really unlucky/clumsy and ended up in the hospital a few times (pneumonia, broken wrist, etc.). Second, I have moved out of my parents house and my aunt is letting me stay with her since the college I'll be going to is close. It's also 700 miles from my mother. She's not taking it well. She didn't want me going and so my aunt ended up having to send me a plane ticket. Third, I now have a job that's 40+ hours a week and I am learning how to drive, so my free time is limited.

For those of you who have read it, I will be updating Yondaime as soon as I can. The next chapter is almost done for that, there are just a few things I need to figure out for future chapters.


End file.
